Suicidal behaviour and resilience-related factors among adolescents in Poland and war-affected Western Ukraine.

backgroundThe purpose of the research was to verify compensatory and protective models of resilience [14, 27] , among adolescents from Poland and war-affected Ukraine. Guided by the socio-ecological model of resilience theory, we examined the relationship between several psychosocial risk and protective factors and suicidal behaviour among adolescents.

methodData were collected via online self-report questionnaires in Autumn 2024 from 14 to 15 year olds in Western Ukraine (N = 2179) and Warsaw, the capital of Poland (N = 1154). The response rate achieved was 75% in Lviv, 73% in Drohobych and 70% in Warsaw. Suicidal behaviour was measured by a 3-item Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours scale adapted from the MINI Kid (Sheehan et al. 2010) (α = 0.87 - 0.90). Four groups of risk factors were examined: 1/ exposure to traumatic experiences, with a 9-item index, and victimization measured by two single questions; 2/ mental health problems (symptoms of depression measured by the shortened 4-item CES-D scale, non-suicidal self-injuries measured by a single question, problems of conduct measured with a 12-item index, problematic internet use measured with the Internet Disorder Scale - Short Form (IDS9-SF); 3/ substance use (alcohol, drug, cigarette and tranquiliser use, all measured with single questions); and 4/ personality characteristics that increase vulnerability (impulsiveness, measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Brief (BIS-Brief), sensation seeking measured by a 6-item scale). Three groups of protective factors were also measured: 1/ parental/ familial (parental management, family relationships measured using the Brief Family Relationship Scale); 2/ school (school bonding measured with a 6-item scale, sense of safety at school measured by a single question); and 3/ individual (religiosity, measured by two single questions, individual physical activity measured by a single question, positive perception of the future, and five key aspects of positive youth development (connection, confidence, character, caring, competences), measured with the Positive Youth Development (PYD-VSF) scale. Hierarchical linear regression was conducted to test models of resilience.

resultsDescriptive analyses showed that significantly more teenagers in Warsaw (Poland) than in Lviv and Drohobych (Ukraine) had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months (33.6% vs. 14.7%), had at some time planned suicide (35.5% vs. 16.9%), and had at some time attempted suicide (17% vs. 7.2%). In both countries, suicidal behaviours were significantly more prevalent among girls than boys. Further analyses also showed that adolescents in Warsaw were more exposed to significant risk factors than their peers in Lviv and Drohobych and, conversely, that youth in Lviv and Drohobych were more strongly protected against these risks than those in Warsaw. Regression analysis indicated that traumatic experiences, victimization, depressive symptoms, non-suicidal self-injury and the use of tranquilizers were associated with increased suicidal behaviour in both countries, whereas sensation seeking and drug use were associated with increased suicidal behaviour among Ukrainian youth. The results of regression showed also that a positive perception of the future and parental (on the part of the mother) management significantly reduced the risk of suicidal behaviour in both countries; however, a sense of safety at school proved to be a significant protective factor among Ukrainian adolescents, while self-confidence played that role in the Polish group. A block of four protective factors was associated with reduced risk of suicidal behaviour in both countries, supporting a compensatory model of resilience. Sense of safety at school moderated the relationship between traumatic experiences and suicidal behaviour in both countries, supporting a protective model of resilience, whereas self-confidence moderated this relationship in the Polish sample while parental management (on the part of the mother) moderated this relationship in in the Ukrainian sample. Overall, the regression model explained over 50% of the variance in suicidal behaviour in Ukrainian adolescents and 58.5% in Polish adolescents.

conclusionsThis study supports the usefulness of resilience models, demonstrating that individual strengths, family resources, and a safe school environment can moderate the negative consequences of traumatic experiences on adolescent suicidal behaviour. A specific implication of these findings is the need for targeted interventions that strengthen family and school support systems to reduce the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among adolescents.